This invention relates to chewing gum compositions which incorporate Alitame. Particularly, the invention relates to storage stable gum compositions wherein the Alitame does not undergo degradation sufficient to cause it to loose its sweetening effects.
Alitame is a new, high intensity dipeptide sweetener developed by Pfizer Corporation of Groton, Conn.
The chemical name for Alitame is L-.alpha.-Aspartyl-N-(2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-3-thietanyl)-D-alaninamide hydrate. A Food Additive Petition has been filed by Pfizer for use of Alitame as a sweetener. Alitame is patented by Pfizer under U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,925. This patent shows the use of Alitame with a sweetening agent like sorbitol or corn syrup in an amount to sweeten edible products, including chewing gum. The patent also discloses that Alitame is approximately 2000 times sweeter than sucrose, advantageously making it sweeter than aspartame, which is only up to 200 times sweeter than sucrose. Therefore, it is estimated that Alitame is about 10 times sweeter than aspartame.
Alitame is similar to aspartame in that both are aspartic acid based sweeteners. However, Alitame has been shown to be much more stable than aspartame in aqueous solutions, and was therefore expected to be much more stable in chewing gum.
Particularly, Alitame has been found to be much more stable in buffer solutions at pH's of 5 and above, whereas aspartame's stability is greatest in the pH ranges of 3 to 5, and decreases with increasing pH.
For that reason, several schemes for increasing aspartame stability in chewing gum have been directed to maintaining the pH in optimum levels. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,286 discloses chewing gum sweetened by aspartame wherein the gum has a pH of between 5.0 and 7.0. To attain this, the gum base for use in the patented gum is free of normally-used calcium carbonate fillers. Non-basic fillers such as magnesium silicate or high levels of wax are suggested as substitutes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,565 also suggests avoidance of calcium carbonate in a base for a gum sweetened with aspartame. However, the patent also states that talc (magnesium silicate) "is not desired for use as an ingredient in chewing gum because of its potential hazard to the human body." This patent suggests the use of micro-crystalline cellulose powder as a filler. The suggested gum bases used also include 5% or 10% wax.
Since Alitame is more stable at higher pH's than aspartame, it would be thought that the avoidance of basic fillers such as calcium carbonate would not be necessary to improve the stability of Alitame in chewing gum. Also, there was no consideration that other common chewing gum ingredients, such as wax, would have an adverse impact on Alitame stability. However, as described herein, very unexpected results came from various tests of gum formulations containing Alitame.